A nurse is preparing to administer gentamicin to a child who weighs 44 lb. The provider prescribes 6 mg/kg/day IV to be administered in three equal doses. Available is gentamicin 40 mg/mL. How many mL should the nurse administer with each dose?

(Round the answer to the nearest whole number. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)

To solve this problem, we first need to convert the client’s weight from pounds to kilograms. Then, we can calculate the total amount of amikacin needed. Finally, we can find out how many milliliters of amikacin injection the nurse should administer.

1. Convert the client’s weight to kilograms: Given that 1 kg = 2.2 lbs, we can calculate the client’s weight in kilograms as follows:

Weightinkg=WeightinlbsConversionfactor=110lbs2.2lbs/kg≈50kgWeightinkg=ConversionfactorWeightinlbs​=2.2lbs/kg110lbs​≈50kg

1. Calculate the total amount of amikacin needed: The doctor ordered 5 mg of amikacin per kg of body weight, so the total amount of amikacin needed is:

Totalamikacin=Doseperkg×Weightinkg=5mg/kg×50kg=250mgTotalamikacin=Doseperkg×Weightinkg=5mg/kg×50kg=250mg

1. Find out how many milliliters of amikacin injection the nurse should administer: Given that the available amikacin injection is 250 mg/mL, we can calculate the volume of injection needed as follows:

Volumeofinjection=TotalamikacinConcentrationofinjection=250mg250mg/mL=1mLVolumeofinjection=ConcentrationofinjectionTotalamikacin​=250mg/mL250mg​=1mL

So, the nurse should administer 1 mL of amikacin injection.